The ramblings of a pilgrim through time, space, and life.

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Inlande Futures

I have been pretty slow to mention anything on here about the recent change of venue for employment.

My newest employment is with Inlande Environmental Resources, Inc. based out of Pasco, Washington.

As most of you know, I was laid off from Bank of America on 31 December 2007. They were divulging themselves of the entire Wholesale division. I was one of the fortunate few. I applied for a number of positions within the bank but I later found out HR and a Hiring Manager had messed up. They thought I was a closer instead of an assistant underwriter. I was not seriously considered for the jobs I applied for. I fought it some, but there are only so many positions and they were already filled. Once again, Bank of America screwed something up. I won’t even go into how they messed up my pay and severance package. They withheld the equivalent of 32 hours of pay for some hiccough they had on their end. I think I am glad to be done with them.

In the meantime of applying for different jobs, my Dad gave me a lead for Inlande. I thought it couldn’t hurt to apply. In the end, I ended up getting that job for 1/3 more salary, plus commission. So I could not refuse it. No other jobs offered employment in Richmond. It was one of the only options open to me.

Part of the problem applying for a job in Richmond was the fact Amanda graduates in May. With that, I would effectively quit my job to move west. Who is going to hire somebody for 4 months? I could not be dishonest when they asked how long I intended to stay with the company. Add to that, the fact Amanda and I have already booked our tickets to Europe for 6 months from 4 June to 16 July. Who wants to hire me then? As soon as we arrived at the town I would be attending law school, I would then have to find employment for a month or two until school started. The whole situation was not favorable.

Along came Inlande Environmental. We made a trip for the interview. It was more of a visit to the family. I was interested in the job but it was so far away. When would they want me to start and how long would Amanda and I have to live apart?

When I found out it was 1/3 more salary, plus commission it was more interesting. It would be a change of industry from mortgage/finance to infrastructure/public utility. That industry will not go away as long as humans need to consume water and remove their waste. I was forthright about our 6 week vacation for the summer, the good chance of my getting in to law school, and attending law school in the fall. They still thought I was worth the risk.

It looked fascinating to me to have a job that got me back into some chemistry. That was an area I have been interested in for a long time. (I took a chemistry book on my mission! I never got around to studying or reading it though.) Plus with the recent changes in the mortgage and finance industries I wanted to get out of such a shifting environment. Add to the fact my new job would not keep me confined in an office and I was definitely hooked.

The major difficulty was in the distance. Amanda would have to remain in Richmond while I moved to Idaho. The position is for a Regional Sales Manager for Utah and Southern Idaho.

Amanda has a number of rotations coming up in which she would be gone for several days at a time. In addition, she wanted to start studying for her boards a couple hours every night. With my being gone, she could study for long hours without the need to be concerned about me. I also would not be the constant distraction I am for her.

After the offer, we determined it was not an offer we could pass up. Nothing else came as close to looking as good. Richmond is expensive and we could not afford a drop in pay. I really didn’t want to spend a month job hunting because the loss of income would really cut our options for our trip to Europe for the summer. Employment had to continue for us.

This put one of us closer to scope out places to live when we decide where we will be moving for the fall. It helps me get out some more of the traveling bug that constantly haunts me. The requirement to travel and a company vehicle with fuel had me jumping with excitement. This job will have me traveling all over the entire state of Utah, Southern Idaho, and Western Wyoming. Not to mention the occasional trip to Washington. I certainly have a few places to stop as I am traveling through.

Amanda can focus solely on school and I can really do the heavily traveling required to lay some foundations. Even if I decide against law school or am not accepted, I will have done the initial legwork so I won’t be required to travel as much when Amanda joins me.

It will not be an easy task. I have no worries that Amanda and I will make it through it. We will get to see each other about once a month until that time. Anything we may lose in 4 months apart I certainly am sure we will make up in 1 1/2 months of traveling through Europe.

Most people look at me like we are crazy. Like I have left my wife and this will be the end of it all. For some reason I feel more pity on the people who feel that way. I am not concerned for my marriage like they seem to indicate they would be for theirs. Sure, I don’t want to be away from my wife. However, we both recognize this as our best option and felt that heaven was directing us this way. We can talk daily. We can e-mail. All is not lost. Our engagement we spent equivalent time apart and were able to overcome that obstacle.

I now find myself in Idaho. What does the future hold? I am not entirely sure. A couple of law schools have declined me already. There are a few more to hear from. We shall wait and see. At any rate, Amanda and I will be reunited this summer and pressing forward for whatever life presents then. This job could be one with definite long range potential. More doors are opening than are closing with this time apart.